Company Press Release:
 

VIRGIN MOBILE ENTERS THE DATA DEVICES SEGMENT WITH vLINK

Now access high speed wireless internet service and carry upto 1 GB of data in your stylish modem!

 

 New Delhi, July 02, 2009: In sync with its commitment to offer innovative products and services catering to the lifestyle of the Indian youth, Virgin Mobile today made its entry into the data devices segment with the launch of vLink. The sleek white colored device priced at Rs 2100/- only will be the first in the data devices segment to offer style and dual purpose of CDMA USB Modem and 1 GB data storage. The uber cool vLink comes with all the drivers (no CD installation required) and one month free unlimited data usage. Virgin Mobile youth customers who do not want a cap on their data usage can now surf the internet anywhere with Virgin Mobile’s unlimited monthly data plan of Rs. 801/-. This is the most economical package available in the market offering a speed of upto 153 kbps. vLink is aimed at meeting the wireless connectivity needs of Indian youth who own laptops as well as PCs. 

 

Text Box: vLink - sleek USB modem with wireless internet access and 1GB data storage space ·         1 GB data storage space for storing music, videos, documents etc. ·         White coloured slim stylish device ·         Most attractive unlimited data plan in the market priced  at Rs. 801 ·         One month free unlimited data usage with Rs. 99 starter kit; benefit of Rs 801 unlimited plan. ·         Plug and Play feature (No CD installation required.)  

Elated to announce this new market foray, M.A. Madhusudan, Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Mobile India said, “With 44% of the total internet population in India within the age bracket of 19-24 years, web has become an integral part of youth’s lifestyle as they spend a significant amount of time online. As per industry estimates, out of the total PC sales in the country, 32% of the customers are still not connected to the Internet. Of the remaining 68%, only a small percentage has the flexibility of being mobile. vLink will offer instant connectivity on the move to the style conscious youth, be it students, professionals, SMBs or SOHOs. We have extended the functionality of a modem and clubbed it with data storage capability of upto 1GB. It is a carry-along device that will allow users to access internet anywhere as well as store their music, photos, videos etc.”

 

Commenting on vLink tariff plans, Deval Parikh, Chief Officer, Handset, VAS & Procurement, Virgin Mobile India said, “vLink comes with a starter kit of Rs. 99 which includes free unlimited promo data usage time of 30 days. We have launched two tariff plans for vLink: The Rs. 801/- monthly plan provides the user unlimited data usage per month, with no hidden costs or commitments. On purchase of vLink, the user gets the benefit of this plan for free in the first month of usage. In sync with Virgin Mobile’s philosophy of offering flexibility to its consumers, the second plan of Rs. 349/- offers the user benefit of rolling over unutilized balance to the next month. This is the first unutilized balance roll over facility for data usage in the Indian market. This plan comes at a competitive 25p/min peak hour rate and a 13p/min off peak hour rate**.”

 

About Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile brand is India’s first national youth-focused mobile service. Virgin Mobile branded services are being offered to the Indian consumers by Tata Teleservices through a brand franchise with Virgin group. Virgin Mobile India facilitates Tata Teleservices with experience and expertise in designing, marketing and servicing of Virgin Mobile branded products for the youth segment. Virgin Mobile services are being supported from 14 offices across India and the current employee strength is more than 500 personnel. While Virgin Mobile branded service can be enjoyed by customers in over 3,20,000 cities, towns and villages across India, the focus on subscriber acquisition so far has been across top 320 cities and is set to extend to more cities by year end. Virgin Mobile branded handsets are available across 50, 000 outlets and its top up cards across 75,000 outlets nationally.

 

In the recently released SAARC Countries Mobile User Survey 2008, Virgin Mobile India has been ranked as No. 1 in Customer Satisfaction. On the overall satisfaction parameters Virgin Mobile scored over 95%. Taking the recent Goa Fest 2009 by storm, Virgin Mobile India bagged 7 Abby awards at India’s most prestigious National Advertising Awards festival! This included 4 silver and 3 bronze Abbys for innovative and distinctive campaigns across Print, Radio, Outdoor and Event. Virgin Mobile India earlier bagged the Silver ‘Effies’ for its creative ideas and market effectiveness of its clutter-breaking campaigns. It has also been rated 15th in the Buzziest Brands of the year Poll 2009 conducted by afaqs.com.  

 

About Virgin – The Group

Virgin, a leading branded venture capital organization, is one of the world's most recognized and respected brands.  Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow very successful businesses in sectors ranging from mobile telephony to transportation, travel, financial services, leisure, music, holidays, publishing and retailing. Virgin has created more than 200 branded companies worldwide, employing approximately 50,000 people, in 29 countries. Its revenues around the world in 2007 exceeded £11.5 billion (approx. US$23 billion). 

 

About Tata Teleservices Limited

Tata Teleservices Limited is one of India's leading private telecom service providers, having a pan-India presence. The company offers integrated telecom solutions to its customers under the Tata Indicom brand, and uses the latest technology platform(s) for its wireless network. With a customer base of over 36 million, Tata Teleservices Limited, along with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited, covers over 320,000 towns and villages across all of India’s 22 telecom circles. In November 2008, Tata Teleservices entered into an agreement with Japanese telecom major NTT DOCOMO, as part of which the Japanese company acquired a 26% stake in TTSL for USD 2.7 billion. The transaction marks a key step in the strategic evolution of Tata Teleservices, as it moves towards a pan-India dual network presence. The company also recently announced a unique reverse equity swap strategic agreement between its fully-owned telecom tower subsidiary, Wireless TT Info-Services Limited, and Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited—with the combined entity kicking off operations with 18,000 towers, thereby becoming the largest independent entity in this space in the country. Tata Teleservices’ bouquet of telephony services includes mobile services, wireless desktop phones, public booth telephony and wireline services.